George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, who won the first round of the presidential election with nearly 40% of the vote, reiterated that if elected, he would oppose any further assistance to Ukraine and shift Romania’s focus inward.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed their countries' relationship on May 8, vowing to increase cooperation in all areas, including military ties.
"There is Turkey, which maintains channels of communication. And then, above all, there is the People's Republic of China, which, more than anyone else, has the means to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin come to the negotiating table and soften his demands," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 8.
The United States will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiation to end the war, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on May 8.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow on May 9 to celebrate Victory Day, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
US President Donald Trump on May 8 called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed his hope for "an acceptable ceasefire," with both countries "held accountable for respecting the sanctity of... direct negotiations."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with the President of the World Bank Group in Washington on Sep. 1, 2021. (president.gov.ua)
The World Bank on Dec. 17 approved a 300 million euro loan to Ukraine to support reforms and help mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Economic Recovery Development Policy Loan aims to support the de-monopolization of the economy, strengthen anti-corruption institutions, improve land and credit markets, including access to finance for small farmers, and bolster the safety net for elderly Ukrainians who are vulnerable to Covid-19, the World Bank said in a press release.
“Amid high levels of economic vulnerability, a slow and uneven recovery from the Covid-19 shock is underway in Ukraine, and we hope this loan will provide the necessary support to reforms aimed at fostering a stronger, more inclusive recovery,” said Arup Banerji, the World Bank’s regional country director for Eastern Europe.
The World Bank last gave Ukraine a Development Policy Loan of $350 million in June 2020 to support the launch of land reform and help the Ukrainian government boost growth and investments in this sector.
On Dec. 10, the World Bank also announced it will give Ukraine $150 million to respond to the Covid-19 threat by buying 16.5 million vaccine doses and developing Covid-related outreach, communication and logistics networks.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the World Bank has provided Ukraine with a total of $2.3 billion in budget support and investment projects.
Oleg Sukhov is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He is a former editor and reporter at the Moscow Times. He has a master's degree in history from the Moscow State University. He moved to Ukraine in 2014 due to the crackdown on independent media in Russia and covered war, corruption, reforms and law enforcement for the Kyiv Post.
